For this project I wanted to focus on gender scripts in children and see what they learn through media and what they learn themselves. Since I needed a young kid I decided to go to my eight year old
brother and ask if he was up for the challenge. When he agreed I sat him down with a blank piece of
paper and a set of colored pencils, asked him to draw a boy and girl, and then left the room. The result I
was left with was the photograph he drew and some requests to be added. When I sat down and looked
at the artwork I was surprised to see no pink or blue and not very many differences between the to...I
began to wonder if my brother was less brainwashed than I was. The colors he chose for the individuals
are pink and orange, which I was not expecting. The color of the clothing says that he did not
necessarily think he needed to decipher the male and female with their fashion. I found this interesting
because I was expecting one to be blue and one to be pink, but instead of using colors to show
difference he just switched the shirt and pants color for each. I also noticed that the girl he has drawn
has long eyelashes and long hair while the boy he has drawn has short hair and darker skin. I think the
symbolism behind the eyelashes says something about female beauty standards and what people expect
of women. Another technique I was able to find was the placement and organization of the way he
drew the two standing. He has them next to each other, on the same foreground, but their feet are facing
different ways. By them being on the same level you can see that he does not think one needs to be
more noticeable than the other. The background of the field that he requested be added is a neutral
setting and helps add to that idea. I think this experiment and picture have proven some theories and
principles wrong, such as the smurfette principle. This principle claims that women and girls are in the back. By my brother drawing the male and female so close to each other and just standing there shows how indifferent he is about gender roles. Growing up with mostly females in the house he has been raised to see that there is no real difference between genders and both can enjoy the same pleasures of
life.
life.
1 comment:
From: Katlyn
Having a younger child draw this picture is a really interesting way to get a new perspective. I like that, as you point out, your brother drew both the male and female in the photo in colors that are not necessarily gender focused. The drawings are quite similar with only the hair and eyelashes as the factors that differentiate them. To me, the eyelashes, say a lot about beauty standards. Put into perspective that when girls are not wearing makeup their lashes are the same length as boys in most scenarios. So, the lengthening of the lashes that mascara provides is a female beauty standard perpetuated so regularly that your brother now instantly associates it with females. I also really like the sort of level playing ground the boy and girl in the drawing are one, the equality it represents is something I think society would benefit from seeing more of.
I do not know if I necessarily believe that this image disproves any of the theories or principles we have learned in class. Though, I understand that this image may not be a clear representation of them. The Smurfette Principle is still rampant in children’s television. We can’t deny the fact that many television shows have one female sidekick amongst a group of rambunctious boys. One problem in particular with this is the lack of representation. But we also can’t forget that this message does impact youths, female youths especially. I think this drawing and what it represents is more of an exception to the rule, not necessarily the rule itself. Though I do think your brother sounds like a great kid for not succumbing to traditional gender stereotypes in his drawing!
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